May 11, 2025 at 6:55 am


When the baggage goes, you see what is left. This leads you to a better place emotionally.
For some, this is what coming home is like.

Recovery and renewal are part of the story when you experience loss. When the old cycle ends, the new cycle begins.

Self-acceptance is the key.
Mourning and grief morph into respect and acknowledgement. Looking back, you realize not all was lost. Learning this lesson is important to avoid repetition.
Wounds become temporary as they heal. Forgiveness is part of the story. With forgiveness, stagnation, self-pity, and loss cannot drain away your focus.
See yourself in a brighter future. Reclaim your happiness, embrace hope, and eliminate grief.
Release your negative thoughts, events, and relationships. This can be challenging when you carry your baggage through life with you.
Because it’s hard to leave the baggage behind, you’re tempted to take it with you.
Life is easier without the negativity of the baggage.
When you offload the baggage, you can make peace with what is there.
Now, you can move on to a better place.

A MEDITATION:
Begin this meditation as you sit in a comfortable position. You may prefer to recline. The important thing is to be comfortable and feel safe.
The goal is to be in a position where you are open to receive.
Close your eyes.

Take a deep breath – in through your nose and out through the mouth. Repeat this breath pattern several times. Each inbreath brings healing, and relaxation. Each exhale removes toxins and negativity.
Continue breathing slowly and deeply. Each breath brings relaxation to your entire body. Each exhale continues to remove toxins and negativity.
When you feel relaxed and comfortable, look around.
You are in a small canoe on a pond. The water on the pond is still and peaceful. Your canoe is in the center of the pond.
You sink into the deep and welcoming cushions in the canoe. You enjoy the comfort. You feel the peace and the stillness of the canoe and the pond.

A small current moves your canoe toward a gentle stream. As the canoe moves with the breeze, you notice the temperature of the air around you. You see the trees, shrubbery, flowers, and grass along the edge of the pond.
You notice the lazy clouds moving overhead. You see beautiful birds in the air overhead.
You become aware of the gratitude you feel just being in this space. You appreciate the energy and the peace. You don’t have to do anything. Just enjoy.
After a short time, the breeze carries you and your canoe toward the shore. You are on the beach. Being on the beach makes you feel strong and healthy. You feel you are a part of the earth.
As you stand beside the canoe, you experience healing energy. You absorb the quiet of the moment. Taking peaceful energy into your very center, you know you will remember it.
It is now time to return to your body and your conscious thought. As you slowly move your body, you open your eyes.
Returning to full awareness, you remember all the beauty and peace you experienced on your meditation.
You know that you can return to this space whenever you desire.
Renewed and rejuvenated, you continue with your day…

Thanks for reading this article and the meditation. Please share it with your friends and family. Forward it to your preferred social media network.
Find out more about Thurman @ www.Thurmangreco.com

April 1, 2023 at 12:57 pm

Let me start this article this way: Self-forgiveness is never easy.
I’ve written about self-forgiveness before. It’s a theme for me – even though I didn’t realize it when I began writing. It’s definitely a part of my books and essays on wellness and hunger.
I have forgiveness chapters in all of my books. My two favorite chapters are in “The Ketchup Sandwiches Chronicles” beginning on page 103 and 145.

These two chapters focus on two real people and the voyages they traveled while seeking self-forgiveness.
Begin self-care with a few questions:
Who am I in this community? In this country? On this planet?
Remember: My community, my country, and my planet have value. I believe the value is greater than the sum of all of us combined.
Self-care means joining the community of the planet. Everyone, without exception, has value and a role to play.
No one, not even the least of us, is irrelevant. No one, not even the greatest of us, is above it all. Being rich or poor simply isn’t part of the equation.
Self-forgiveness in the context of self-care is a journey where we become a part of something greater. We don’t write off people and situations. We challenge, encourage, love.
Self-forgiveness allows us to not always be at our best.
Self-forgiveness includes renewal and support.
Self-forgiveness can be a calling.

When you sign onto the journey of self-forgiveness, you’ll travel to places you’ve never been before. You may find yourself involved in activities and events for which you may not be quite prepared.
You can’t complete a self-forgiveness journey with an isolated incident like you would complete a puzzle or word game. It is a part of a process.
Forgiveness is always a challenge. Everyone seeks forgiveness and self-forgiveness is the hardest part.
How does it work? Well, do what you can with what you have. Work where you are. A good starting point is to sketch your community.
Really, what you’re doing is muddling through. Frankly, I think that’s how self-forgiveness works. This journey is not going to be perfect. At times, it may seem overwhelming. Other times, it may seem simply like a blank page. Self-forgiveness comes with very few maps. Certainly, there is no GPS.
Forgiveness is a journey with its own timetable. There may be surprise stops along the way. That’s because forgiveness has its own messages and meaning.
A bottom line is this: Forgiveness is for you and you alone. When you forgive someone, you are not forgiving them for them. You are forgiving them for you.
And, that’s what self-care is all about: YOU.
Self-forgiveness happens when you move beyond your thoughts and memories to a new place. At that moment, you see things differently. Sometimes this new place can be a sort of miracle.
This happens when you see your open heart and embrace new hopes and blessings. After a few moments, you may also hear things in a new way.
This is true change. True change, and self-forgiveness, happens when you face the same condition that caused you to behave in a way unacceptable to yourself and now you see things differently.
You break out of your past.
You’ve changed. You are a different person.
You wake up and claim your self-forgiven reality.

Thank you for reading this blog post. Please forward it to your preferred social media network. Share it with your friends and family.

To hear stories of healing and of hunger, tune into YouTube. There are several segments where I read the stories. It is one thing to read the stories and another thing entirely to hear them. ENJOY

When traveling on your self-forgiveness journey, I recommend you include regular reflexology and Reiki sessions. Spiritual journeys include physical, mental, and emotional changes as well. Your feet are a command center of your body. They need consideration and attention during this time.

If you have questions, contact me at thurmangreco@gmail.com
THANKS AGAIN!